-- TEACHERS' STRIKE LIVE - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/04/08

-- IN DEFENSE OF DECENCY - BRONISŁAW WILDSTEIN ON THE ATTACK ON MICHNIK: “A group of men corners an old man, insults him, and records it. The cornered man is Adam Michnik. Does this justify anything? I read that the aggressors acted like 'Michnik's people' and 'the other side' in general. Except that those who are now explaining this behavior were outraged when it was directed 'at their side.' Do the defenders of the attack on Michnik not realize that they are undermining their own arguments and leading to a situation where brute force will decide success? Do they not understand that they are crossing out ethical norms, decency, and basic good manners, and escalating an increasingly cold civil war that they themselves condemned?” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/441501-w-obronie-przyzwoitosci

-- I WON'T SAY WHAT TUSK SAID BECAUSE THE PLATFORM IS NOT JUST MINE - GRZEGORZ SCHETYNA IN CONVERSATION WITH RENATA GROCHAL IN NEWSWEEK: “Tusk led the Platform, we won the elections, but he never built a broad coalition, which I managed to do. I am a different type of politician. He used to say: 'My Platform did this and that.' I won't say that because I was part of his Platform, and now the Platform is not just mine. Tusk is a leader who shapes policy single-handedly. I prefer to work in a team, to utilize people and their ideas.”

-- POLITICS IS NOT FRIENDSHIP, I HAVE NO DESIRE FOR REVENGE - SCHETYNA CONTINUES: “I know that politics should not be built on principles of friendship, because politics is not friendship. Thanks to that lesson, I matured, but I have no desire for revenge. I realized that nothing in life is given forever, everything can change. If you know how to count, count on yourself. Relationships in politics must be built on openness and conviction in the values you believe in.”

-- I MANAGED TO REASSEMBLE THE PLATFORM - SCHETYNA CONTINUES: “After Tusk's departure and losing the elections, I managed to reassemble the Platform, to build a team. Today I stand in the tunnel at the stadium, and the most important match is about to begin. And I have the honor to lead this team.”

-- SCHETYNA ON THE MORNING SHOW ON INFO AFTER WINNING THE ELECTIONS: “I would like to see what the morning will look like on TVP Info when we win. Will they accept PiS's defeat… In the campaign, we will present a law that will ensure TVP's true independence, so that there is no possibility of returning to Kurski and his team.”

– SCHETYNA ON GROCHAL'S QUESTION ABOUT ZDROJEWSKI: “This is the frustration of a few people, not the Platform. I told Bogdan six months ago that I would very much like him to lead the Sejm list in Wrocław, especially if Morawiecki runs from Wrocław. And he replied that he prefers the European Parliament. The decisive battle will take place in the country, and when someone tells me that they are not interested in it and that I can call them when I am forming a government, I answer that politics is not done with me that way. Politics is not for a comfortable life. Especially here and now, when it is a battle for everything and hundreds of thousands of votes in individual constituencies will decide.” https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/schetyna-dla-newsweeka-to-nie-jest-tylko-moja-platforma/exh65xr

-- THE ROUND TABLE WAS NEGOTIATIONS AMONG ELITES, NOT ANY SECRET PLAN OR SOCIAL AGREEMENT - KRZYSZTOF MAZUR ON THE Jagiellonian CLUB PORTAL: “No, it was not a secret plan written in Moscow, whereby traitors from 'Solidarity' sold Poland to the 'Reds.' No, it was not a universally accepted social agreement nor a great victory for our democracy. It was the most mundane moment of elite negotiations in the world, where each of the significant actors wanted to secure the best possible starting position for themselves in the new distribution. Some negotiated better, others worse. Some received the position of president, others 'Gazeta Wyborcza,' and still others the Property Commission. However, there's no need to look for a hidden agenda here, let alone great metaphysics in this event. The Round Table is nothing more than the symbolic beginning of contemporary Polish politics. And like Polish politics, it is neither white nor black, but simply gray. Just an eternal tangle of interests, individual ambitions, and blind fate.”

-- GAZETA WYBORCZA GAVE THEM A CHANCE FOR CULTURAL HEGEMONY UNTIL THE INTERNET CAME INTO BEING - MAZUR CONTINUES: “They nominated Henryk Wujec as the 'personnel officer of the Round Table.' He would decide on the composition of delegates, subcommittees, and experts, thus nominating the new elite of the Third Republic. They would also become the greatest beneficiaries of this process. They would inherit not only the legend of the first non-communist prime minister, on which they would build the Democratic Union. Above all, however, they would negotiate for themselves 'Gazeta Wyborcza,' which would give them a chance for cultural hegemony until the Internet came into being. One must admit, it was worth riding the train to Gdańsk for a few months, carrying suitcases behind Lech.”

-- COMMUNISTS NEEDED DOLLARS, JARUZELSKI CONVENED THE GROUP OF THREE - MAZUR CONTINUES: “John Davis, the US ambassador to Poland, left no room for doubt. The West would help if the government began negotiations with the opposition, political pluralism was introduced, 'Solidarity' was re-legalized, it was offered some share in governance, and finally, the prospect of free elections appeared. The communists did not decide on the Round Table because they suddenly converted to democracy. The communists decided on the Round Table because they needed dollars. And without opening up to the opposition, they would never have received them. However, they were not naive. They had been playing politics for too long to give up their skin cheaply now. That's why they prepared very carefully for this process. As early as the beginning of 1986, they established the 'Group of Three' consisting of Gen. Władysław Pożoga (deputy head of Kiszczak, head of intelligence and counterintelligence), Stanisław Ciosek (Central Committee Secretary), and Jerzy Urban (journalist, and later government spokesperson). This was a true three-person think tank! A man from the services, a man from the party, and a man from the media. Well-informed, devilishly intelligent, brave in their diagnoses. Over the next three years, they would prepare over a dozen secret reports for Jaruzelski, which would then be implemented. From joining the International Monetary Fund and establishing relations with the West, through the nomenklatura's enrichment and ensuring influence over media and banks in the new system, to political amnesty, opening up to strategic cooperation with the Church, and the maneuver of co-opting the 'conciliatory' opposition while excluding the 'radical' opposition. The Round Table was not a great improvisation on the part of the communists. Its key assumptions were thought out in advance and proposed by the 'Group of Three.'”

-- KACZYŃSKI OUTSMARTED GEREMEK - MAZUR CONTINUES: “Jarosław Kaczyński, in turn, surprised many a few weeks ago when he spoke positively about the idea of a monument to Mazowiecki. This surprise surprised me. As if we had forgotten that it was Kaczyński who 'lent a hand, if not both hands' for this government to come into being. As a debutant in big politics, he outsmarted the legendary Geremek, who was counting heavily on History allowing him to play the role of the first non-communist prime minister. The 'Salon' (intellectual elite) never forgot this audacious move by a debutant against a distinguished professor.”

-- THE CHURCH DID NOT RECEIVE GUARANTEES OF THE ROUND TABLE FOR FREE - MAZUR CONTINUES: “These are just two 'details' from a long list of other privileges that the Church received during the warm spring days of '89. It also received the right to own its printing presses, radio and television stations, as well as cinemas, theaters, and film studios. Significant tax and customs reliefs were also granted. In return, it was not to question the basic directions of change, although it did not truly know their future shape. However, that is what signing blank checks entails. Even when the Third Republic turned out to be different from what many Catholics expected – too little solidarity with the poor, a clear reckoning with communism was missing, and a liberal-left elite dominated culture – the Church remained a true defender of this system. The Kwaśniewski couple in the papamobile is too strong an association not to mention it here. Therefore, when I hear right-wing commentators say that 'the Round Table was a betrayal by the elites,' it hurts me as a Catholic to criticize our hierarchs so unsparingly.” -- THE WAR OF TRIBES LEADS TO CATASTROPHE - MAZUR'S CONCLUSION: “I dream that by closing this chapter of history, we will realize the fundamental lie of your politics. It reads: 'when they disappear, everything will finally be alright.' 'They' will not disappear – and even if they did, it would turn out that the problem was not with them. Instead of engaging in politics based on a mortal personal struggle, let's finally debate real problems, conflicting values, and divergent interests. Above all, let's focus on seeking new development perspectives for Poland, because the international economic climate is clearly ending. Today, we need politics that sets goals and engages the community in their realization, rather than concentrating all energy on the moral destruction of the enemy. Continuing the war of tribes will lead us to catastrophe.” https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2019/04/07/okragly-stol-to-symbol-waszej-zlej-polityki/

-- JĘDRZEJ BIELECKI IN RZ ON HOW BRUSSELS SELECTIVELY ATTACKS POLAND: “When, with the EU's tacit approval, far-right groups participate in governments in many member states, from Finland to Austria, investigative journalists are murdered in Malta and Slovakia, the rule of law is undermined in Romania, Emmanuel Macron breaks European budget rules for the umpteenth time, and Germany pushes forward with the Nord Stream 2 project, which is contrary to European energy policy, initiating legal proceedings solely against Poland and Hungary can easily be considered selective action. This is even more true because, for now, there is no majority in the Council of the EU that shares the concerns of the European headquarters.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/304079961-Bielecki-Bruksela-strzela-sobie-w-stope.html

-- KATARZYNA LUBNAUER TELLS ANDRZEJ GAJCZAK THAT IT IS BETTER TO EXEMPT THE POOREST PENSIONERS FROM TAXES: “If we do not solve the problems of pensioners systemically, let's not expect to fix anything with a one-time payment, which - as Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki proposes - a pensioner can give as a communion gift to their grandchild or spend on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. It is better to exempt all pensioners with the lowest pension from taxes permanently.”

-- PIS CAN'T DO ANYTHING, SO THEY GIVE BRIBES - LUBNAUER CONTINUES: “If PiS cannot organize good quality healthcare, social assistance, or education, it gives a one-time gift or a bribe, but every Pole sees that it is a gift, like the Trojan horse, only to persuade them to vote for PiS before May 26th. The same applies to '500 plus' on such a scale, because if we had a well-functioning state, there would be no such need.”

-- WE WILL PAY FOR KACZYŃSKI'S 'FIVE' OURSELVES - LUBNAUER CONTINUES: “That is why Nowoczesna (Modern) was founded, because we were against taking funds from OFE (Open Pension Funds), as we believed it undermined trust in the state. But what PiS is doing now is worse. Because those funds, although they were added to our individual accounts in ZUS (Social Insurance Institution). And PiS says they will only add 75% of the remaining funds. For heaven's sake, they could have stolen everything from us, and for their electoral promises, they will only take 25%. This means we will pay for 'Kaczyński's five' ourselves in 2020 from our future pensions.”

-- I AM FURTHER FROM WIOSNA'S POPULISM THAN FROM PIS'S POPULISM - LUBNAUER CONTINUES: “I am even further from Wiosna's populist proposals than from PiS's populist proposals. Someone calculated that Wiosna's proposals would amount to about a trillion zlotys (laughter). This populism of Wiosna is even less palatable to me than Jarosław Kaczyński's populism. Although I at least believe that Biedroń is a democrat with all his heart.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/katarzyna-lubnauer-nie-jestem-populistka-jak-inni-wywiad/xhbkp3q

-- THAT'S WHAT POLITICS LOOKS LIKE, WHICH IS WHY SCHETYNA SHOULDN'T BE TOURING VILLAGES - ANTONI DUDEK IN SE: “The local elections were just the first step. Jarosław Kaczyński assumes that in the current election year, the European Coalition, of which PSL is a part, will not last until the parliamentary elections, and with a separate start in the autumn, PiS wants to finally get rid of it as a competitor. Hence, the leader says there will be money for farmers, but he doesn't mention teachers. It's a simple game. One can be outraged by it, but that's what Polish politics looks like. For the same reasons, you don't hear about Schetyna touring villages and fighting for the rural electorate, convincing them that PO is their greatest defender.” https://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/polityka/prof-antoni-dudek-inteligenci-to-nie-elektorat-pis-aa-AS2F-3sRg-D1Xt.html

-- THE ROMANIAN PRIME MINISTER IS OUTRAGED BY COMPARISONS TO POLAND - JANUSZ LEWANDOWSKI IN GW: “Today's damage is not widely tangible, as it is happening under anesthesia through '500 plus.' But the world sees it. The cup of bitterness was filled by Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă when she was outraged by the comparison of her 'country of democracy, not dictatorship' to Kaczyński's Poland. Since 2015, the work of destruction has been carried out without the participation of external invaders, occupiers, and partitioners. The 'good change' has plundered the thousand-year-old Białowieża Forest, 500-year-old friendly relations with Iran, a 200-year-old stud farm, and above all, the institutional achievements of the Third Republic, which was our gateway to NATO and the European Union. The EU's top student has moved to the dunce's bench.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24626755,rzady-pis-trwonia-pokoleniowy-dorobek-zabieraja-przyszlosc.html

-- JACEK ŻAKOWSKI: THEY GAVE THEMSELVES BONUSES WHILE ACCUSING YOU OF FIGHTING FOR MONEY - he writes in GW to teachers: “They will accuse you of caring more about money than about children. Do not give in to this blackmail. They are the ones giving themselves tens of thousands in bonuses at their own discretion. Not you. And they are not concerned about the fate of children then – for example, those who are not properly treated due to lack of funds.”

-- THEY WEREN'T WORRIED ABOUT STRESS WHEN THEY SHOVED DOUBLE GRADES - ŻAKOWSKI CONTINUES: “They will shout that because of this strike, eighth-graders will be more stressed. Don't let them soften you. They weren't worried about student stress when they stubbornly shoved two grades of students into the first years of high school.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,24625731,zakowski-do-strajkujacych-nauczycieli-trzymajcie-sie.html

-- ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA ON PROVOKING THE TEACHERS' STRIKE - writes in RZ: “On the surface, PiS's calculation seems correct: there are more farmers in Poland. But will enough of them go to the polls and vote for PiS? And have the families of teachers been added to the other side of the equation? And the parents of students? Perhaps the ruling party is counting on the fact that even if few parents are furious now because of the strike, in a week, constantly looking for childcare, they will want to drown the teachers in a teaspoon of water. If so, the strategy of provoking them to strike may pay off. And what about the students and parents? Well. Some do not vote yet, and others receive '500 plus,' so they should vote for the current government.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/304079962-Dabrowska-Krowy-plus-nauczyciele-minus.html

-- MICHAŁ SUTOWSKI ON THE ALLIANCE OF THE LOWER MIDDLE CLASS WITH THE WEALTHY - writes in Krytyka: “Before our eyes, the embryo of an alliance is being formed between the lower middle class of the public sector and the wealthier, market segment of 'transformation beneficiaries.' Again, even if the motivations are somewhat calculating (to get one's own, to get at PiS), it is in precisely such moments that capital of good emotions – solidarity and simple affection – is built between entire social groups that have not always been on the same path. If the liberal bourgeoisie fails to seize this chance for broader social grounding, it could mean we are lost. And this does not only apply to the chances of the two-headed opposition in the upcoming elections.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/strajk-nauczycieli-michal-sutowski-komentarz/

-- THERE IS NO OTHER SOLUTION THAN A TEST OF STRENGTH - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “Everything indicates that there is no other way out than a strike-based test of strength. To the teachers, for whom I wish all the best, I recall, however, the fate of last year's protest of people with disabilities. There, the leaders of the parliamentary protest, also fueled by the turbo-liberal opposition, also went too far, and then quickly found themselves on the opposition's electoral lists. But the damage they did to the environment, they did. From my assessment, the entire action does not look good in the eyes of public opinion for now; the political intention is far too visible.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/441463-strajk-bedzie-bo-mial-byc-byl-zapisany-w-planie-opozycji

-- SENSIBLE PROPOSALS, BUT TEACHERS WERE SLAPPED IN THE FACE - JAKUB MAJMUREK: “Some of the proposals that President Kaczyński, Prime Minister Morawiecki, or Minister of Agriculture Jan Ardanowski spoke about were quite sensible: support for agricultural cooperatives, fighting transport exclusion of the provinces ('PKS to every village'), support for young farmers starting agricultural businesses. However, others made the biggest splash in the media: 'cow and pig plus' – support of PLN 500 for each cow raised on grass and PLN 100 for each pig raised on one's own farm. Regardless of how one evaluates these proposals from the perspective of state agricultural policy, announcing them at this moment is politically clumsy at best. Teachers preparing for a strike may again feel slapped in the face: it turns out there is money for cows and pigs, but not for them. And even the biggest lover of Polish pork, beef, and dairy must admit.”

-- THE EUROPEAN PROGRAM IS AN OPPORTUNITY for smaller players - MAJMUREK continues: “After Saturday, a niche is visible for them. Neither PiS nor KE (Civic Coalition) still has anything to say about Europe. For KE, 'Europe' is a symbol of Poland's civilizational aspirations. For PiS, it's a piggy bank for implementing domestic programs. Meanwhile, the EU and Poland in the EU face a series of civilizational choices. We need to think about what kind of Europe we actually want in the next quarter-century. KE and PiS are not saying anything about this yet – for Wiosna and Lewica Razem (Together Left), this is an opportunity to substantively distinguish themselves from the KE-PiS duopoly.” https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/pis-i-koalicja-europejska-zwieraja-szeregi/4lh97zm

-- MAGDALENA ADAMOWICZ ON THE FIGHT AGAINST FAKES, INCLUDING ANTI-VAXXERS - she tells Jacek Nizinkiewicz in RZ: “I will work on introducing a broad EU program of action, perhaps even developing it into a comprehensive EU policy to counteract deliberate falsehoods, hate speech, and incitement to hatred – in every area of life: from anti-vaxxers to political hate speech, from schools to churches, from public media to the internet.” https://www.rp.pl/Wybory-do-PE/190409515-Magdalena-Adamowicz-Przeciwdzialac-hejtowi-i-pogardzie.html

-- 6th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher's death.

-- BIRTHDAYS: Marek Sawicki, Dorota Warakomska, Renata Kim, Bogdan Pęk.